Aug 24, 2010 Posted by Tiffany

Using thieves oil to treat black mold

I  was recently contacted by a reader who has had terrible problems with black mold (Stachybotrys chartarum). If you’ve never heard about this problem, let me tell you that it is BAD stuff. Not only does it smell gross, but it is actually toxic, and it will cause you, your family and even your pets to get exceptionally sick if you don’t deal with the problem. Thankfully, there are a few ways... read more

Aug 16, 2010 Posted by Tiffany

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

As you may recall, we are huge fans of zucchini bread in this house and I make a couple loaves almost every week. Now that Stefan is back at work and I want him to have something in his belly every morning, I’m back to baking. But I was feeling a bit bored with the usual zucchini bread and had a bunch of blueberries in the fridge to use up…and so this recipe was born. I basically just took my... read more

Jul 22, 2010 Posted by Tiffany

Heal and soothe bumps and bruises naturally

I mentioned the other day that I actually used an aromatherapy method to help soothe my aching bones and nerves during my first few days home from the hospital. I was taking 400mg tablets of ibuprofen plus another similar drug at the time…and really living from pill to pill. I hate that feeling and tend to stay away from medications of all kinds unless they are absolutely necessary. I would usually... read more

Jul 20, 2010 Posted by Tiffany

Aromatherapy for the Healthy Child

It’s probably no surprise to you that I am a big fan of essential oils and aromatherapy. I have seen first hand how powerful their effects can be…and if I can accomplish something without drugs and chemicals, I’m definitely going to give it a try. I even used essential oils with hot and cold compresses on my broken ribs when I came home from the hospital — which actually gave me... read more

Jun 1, 2010 Posted by Tiffany

Selecting aquaponics growing media

It’s been a while since I talked about our aquaponics system, but we have indeed been working on it and it’s actually running very well. We’ve had our beds filled and even have plants in it but I putting the events down in words has taken a while longer. When building an aquaponics system, there are several growing media which can be considered. You may be lucky enough to have an endless... read more

May 20, 2010 Posted by Tiffany

How to make vanilla extract

One thing I use a lot of in this house is vanilla. Since I bake zucchini bread every week, that’s already a tablespoon per week…plus most of the cookies and other goodies I bake also use vanilla. Throw in French toast from time to time and other breakfast goodies and that’s even more vanilla. And strangely enough, here in Germany you can only get vanilla sugar. Which is ok…but just... read more

Apr 29, 2010 Posted by Tiffany

Wild garlic pesto

Wild garlic (Allium ursinum AKA bear’s garlic, ramsons or Bärlauch in German) is a wonderful chive cousin that we’re lucky to have growing in our courtyard and a bit in our garden too. At Mackenzie’s christening dinner, we were served a wild garlic soup that was just incredible. I vowed after that to never let our Bärlauch go unharvested again. Last year, I still missed it because I... read more

Feb 16, 2010 Posted by Tiffany

Homemade natural spray disinfectant

I recently received a question about using homemade Thieves Oil around children, especially young children under 3 years old. Unfortunately, many of the ingredients contained in it should not be used on small children. In fact, rosemary essential oil shouldn’t really be used around kids until they are at least 5 years old. Some sources indicate that children under 18 months of age should not be... read more

Feb 4, 2010 Posted by Tiffany

Book review: The Backyard Homestead

When Sue M, a fellow old German timber-frame homeowner, suggested I pick up a copy of The Backyard Homestead (available at Amazon.com and Amazon.de) (edited by Carleen Madigan and published by Storey Publishing, LLC), I quickly hopped on over to Amazon and placed my order. She was raving about how fantastic the book is, especially for those who don’t have acres and acres of land to turn into a farm.... read more

Feb 2, 2010 Posted by Tiffany

The other, other ice cream

We’re big fans of ice cream in this house. There is nothing quite like eating a fresh gelato from a street corner in Italy where you have 50 flavors to choose from. Unfortunately, we live in Germany and there is no ice cream stand in our little town. Not that it would help us at this time of year because all the ice cream shop owners head back to Italy during the winter to count their money. Once... read more